


The Exnome Project

by Aery_Child



Category: Tales of Symphonia, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World
Genre: Exnome, Gen, Minor Violence, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-07-24
Packaged: 2018-07-26 10:29:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7570669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aery_Child/pseuds/Aery_Child
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Normals and Exnomes are a common sight  in this world, including the tension that both of them bear with one another. Ratatosk, an Exnome, is all too familiar with the strife and tension caused by both. Especially since he is the strongest Exnome currently in existence being an A80 class. Normals in this world live in fear of Exnomes, but a professor one day wanted to prove that Exnomes mean no harm to Normals and vice versa.</p>
<p>With this forward thinking, the professor builds a unique school that is not only co-gendered but co-rating as well. However, that perfect image in the school is about to collapse thanks to the Normals and some low ranking Exnomes bullying higher level Exnomes; And who is this weird Normal that keeps trying to befriend and gain Ratatosk's trust?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Exnome Project

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a major challenge in of itself. The Idea manifested about .. er.. 3 years ago? 3-ish 4-ish? It kept coming back, sometimes even better than before and I decided why the hell not finally write it down.
> 
> Issue being is; I'm not confident in writing some of the scenes in this. So there might be some confusion as to what is even going on. I'll explain as much as I can about a chapter at the end of the notes. Also forgive my comprehension skills. I have a terrible to write things thinking it means one thing when it means another. My friends catch it all the time xD
> 
> I guess, with that; I hope you all enjoy owo)b

* * *

     Step. Another step. And another step. Pause. A sigh passes through lips and a head rises to regard the blue sky and the seemingly clear sunny day. Blonde locks tousled by the wind playfully, almost to disregard the stressed features in on the boy's face. He needed to relax. Right now wasn't the right time to be feeling anxiety. Though, who could blame him for feeling anxious? It was his first time going to a school-- No, More like his first time going to school surrounded by Normals and Exnomes. He needed to relax though. The head of the school built it as to prove that the two could co-exist. They even invited him of all people to enter the school. Surely they were equipped to deal with him. 

     Inhale, Exhale; Just breath. He could do this. He could get through the day with no problems. It was just ceremony day. The first day of the school opening and the first day of students getting used to the school schedule and dorm policy.. Oh he hoped they didn't dorm him with anyone else. They would have to be the biggest idiots to dorm him, of all people, with someone else. There were even rumors that some Exnomes were paired up with Normals. He understands proving that the two could get along but… Even that was a little too extreme. 

     He continued walking again, hopefully he wasn't late. He was sure he wasn't but he had paused a lot during the walk to his new temporary home just to push his anxiety down. Red eyes peered at the entrance of the gym and as he got closer, a woman with brown hair regarded him. 

     "Name, age, and class grade please?" She smiled. Dimples showing, offsetting her tan features to be calm and welcoming. Hold up, stop admiring how she looks and speak idiot. 

     "Oh.. Um, Ratatosk, Sixteen and freshman." Good, at least his voice didn't die. She looked over the list with blue eyes.. 

     "Hmm… You're not on the Normals list.." She flipped the brown clipboard over and brushed a lock of brown hair behind her ear as she gazed at the other list "Oh, Here you are! … Oh wow, you're a very strong Exnome.." Ratatosk casted his red eyes away from her… Here it comes. 

     "That's amazing, Honestly. I'm only a G20 class Exnome. I was so glad to be accepted as a councilor" eh? He was expecting her to throw heated words at him. That's how most people reacted; even some Exnomes reacted that way to him. 

     "You're the highest Exnome I've ever met, and the only one in your class here to attend.. Don't get too lonely now. You can hang out with the councilors if people shy away, Alright?" She smiled warmly again while extending the offer 

     "Oh. Um, Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." Ratatosk nodded, a small blush forming on his cheeks. Christ, he must appear like such an idiot. What was a Grade A80 class like him doing acting like such a weirdo? 

     She nodded at him "Exnomes are sitting to the right, and Normals to the Left. You may enter, Ratatosk." She stepped aside, allowing him to pass through. He guessed this was their way of assuring attendance for the first day? It was interesting to say the least, but probably efficient. He entered the building and moved to the right side as she had instructed. Someone led him to a seat which.. He presumed they were seating them by class for the Exnomes because he was at the very front of the room in the first seat. Despite not being the first Exnome to enter. Great. Way to point out that he is the highest class here. 

     Waiting for it to start, he slightly stared off into space. He remembered it like yesterday, well not really since his memory was very choppy of the time, but the time when he first became an Exnome. What he did remember though-- 

* * *

     "Hey! Kid! You okay?" Someone running towards him.. Who is it? Where was he? How did he end up here? "Listen kid, I'm calling the Ambulance, stay with me alright?" He pulled out a gray cell phone from his black jacket and three dial numbers resounded.. A male on the other end picked up and the man seemed to be talking to the other, explaining what happened as well as he could. The stars seemed to be out.. So nowhere near the city right?

     Strangled noise emitting from his throat. There was a burning pain, pulsing-- It hurt. It hurt, It hurt, It hurt. His hands grabbing his temples, writhing against the ground in agony. The shadow beneath him was getting darker, as if he could sink into at any moment. Why was this happening? What is happening? What's going on with him? What's wrong with him? 

     The man beside him backed away almost in fear "Oh.. Oh my god." He was trembling "You're… You're an Exnome…" 

     Ratatosk screamed out in pain, the pulse in his head getting worse, the only thing that he could focus on. It was getting worse. As if someone was trying to split his head in two. He wanted someone to stop it. Wished someone would stop this agonizing pain! 

     The man almost forgot about his phone, staring in horror at the boy. "O-Oh, U-Um.. I-I think this kid.. I think he's an Exnome… He keeps screaming.. Um.. Writhing. He's in lots of pain.. I-I'm a normal, I don't know what I can do to help him… Eh? He might be awakening as an Exnome? Shit.. What do I do? Nothing? W-Wait, but.. He's just a kid. I-I thought you were either born an Exnome or became one in your th-thirties, that's what they taught at school.. A-Asshole, just send the paramedics. He's in Pain!" 

     He was almost grateful that the man was speaking, it was something to try and hold onto to focus on.. The pain kept escalating-- No good. He was losing consciousness. The pain is too much-- Ratatosk's body went limp after a few minutes of struggling to hold consciousness, as the shadow beneath him continued to get bigger. The man staying with him, Arguing with the other man who wouldn't dispatch help. 

     It was a while but soon the darkness faded away and his eyes peered open.. Where was he now? Shit, he could never tell. The white ceiling taunted back at him, mocking him for his ignorance.. Ratatosk tried sitting up in bed only to wince. His whole body ached. Mostly his head as one hand flew up to grip it; wincing at the movement. A woman walked in with red hair.. Who? 

     "You're awake.. Thank goodness." there was relief in her voice.. yet no relief in her face. He didn't trust her. "I-I'll go get the doctor." she rushed back out of the room.. Doctor? Was he in some type of hospital. He groaned, wishing he hadn't tried sitting up. Sure enough, another man entered. A white coat on, a tie, freshly shaven. Probably still played golf in his free time despite looking to be only in his twenties. He came up to the bed and took a seat on the chair, probably just to be on the same eye level. That was seriously some ugly shade of blue this guy was wearing. Ratatosk flicked his eyes back up to the man's face to give him attention instead of judgment. 

     "Hi, Glad you're awake." he wore a very fake smile. "You collapsed on 8th Avenue in a suburban area, and two people found you." Eh? Two? No, he was sure there was only one right? 

     "There was only one.. A guy with a black coat and gray cell." Ratatosk stated.. He didn't mean to sound like he was overriding the others reports but.. Perhaps this would prompt the other to explain further? 

     "Yes, At first there was one. He was a normal calling the paramedics. Who never came, clearly." The man responded. "After you fell unconscious, there was a second man. He's an Exnome, who brought you here." the man's ice gray eyes resting on Ratatosk as if to scold for interrupting with mundane info. Ratatosk didn't trust this guy either he decided. 

     "So, judging from how old you look, I'm assuming a middle schooler? Do you know your parents phone number? Perhaps school name?" Ratatosk blinked at him.. What? 

     "Why would you--" he started but a woman with blonde hair rushed in, obviously having rushed to get here. Wait, who was she rushing for, Ratatosk was the only 'patient' in the room. 

     "Ratatosk! Are you okay!" She came over to the bed but blinked in surprise "Eh? Your eyes are a different color." she put a hand on his face, to which he moved away instinctively. The Doctor regarded her. 

     "I assume you are Ratatosk's parent?" He asked calmly, still with that same fake smile. She corrected him almost instantly. 

     "Guardian. He lives at the orphanage just a little ways from here. I'm the owner of it." Ratatosk doubted that information. He seriously didn't know who this woman was.. Now that he thought about it. He doesn't remember anything but basic knowledge. Name, name of objects.. No age, but.. no past recollection of before collapsing on the street. 

     "Right, I need to speak with you about, err, Ratatosk, That was his name right?" The doctor asked, to which the female nodded. "I think it would be best to tell Ratatosk now too, since, I'm sure he's old enough to know himself." 

     "He's 13." She clarified. Wait.. Why did that age sound so incorrect to him. Everything was too confusing, he wished he pretended to be asleep. 

     "Well, I'll start with the lighter news." Oh was this in two parts? "First, Ratatosk has a concussion." Concussion huh. Sounds like fun, not. Was that why his head ached something fierce? "We haven't run any tests yet, but there might be possible memory loss." Ratatosk blinked. "However, if he recognizes you; then everything should be fine." 

      The woman gave a slight sigh of relief. Should he speak now, or forever hold his piece on this subject? "Um.. I don't actually recognize her.." She reacted so quickly, Ratatosk swore the woman's head nearly popped off her neck. 

     "Really? You don't? Hm.." The doctor puzzled. "Well, It most likely won't matter if you do or don't." The hell did that mean? This man's trust level is literally about to see the 7th level of hell here soon. "Moving on though, we'll address his amnesia at a later time. The heavier news is that Ratatosk is an Exnome. Recently Awoken, granted, but he is still required by law to undergo the level placement test. Depending on the ranking of level from that test, he'll probably have to be sent to a Correctional Facility for his and the general public's safety."-- 

* * *

      A tapping on the microphone pulled Ratatosk out of his thoughts and he looked to the stage to see a middle aged man standing there. If Ratatosk recalled correctly. This was the nut with the idea to create this school… Was he considered a Director or just someone with a lot of money.. Don't answer that. 

     The man was beaming over the heads of the students that filtered in and were shown their seats. Ratatosk did a quick once over at the students. Judging from the Normals section, they were sectioned out by grade and possible score entry tests. The Exnome section.. Yeah, Definitely by Class. There wasn't any doubt in Ratatosk's mind it was by Class. He glanced at the seat beside him. Where the hell was this kid? Presumably a B class since the girl from before stated he was the only A class here.. Next to that seat was a nervous brunette who appeared to be doing a lot of heavy breathing. This kid wasn't about to have an issue, was he? Ratatosk poked his arm to gain attention. Which was met with a slight startled jump. 

     "U-Um, Ye-Yeah?" The boy's voice was shaky, 

     "You alright? You look pale... If you're about to have an issue, you should probably go look for a councilor." Woah-ho, Look at Ratatosk taking care of an issue. Then again, this kid looked how he felt. Ratatosk was just clearly better at keeping composer. Perhaps that's why the kid next to him was still missing. Then again, judging from his glance at the Exnome side… Yeah, Many were probably here, just having anxiety and issues galore. Fun. The boy did nod though and get up to seek a councilor. Well, At least someone will help him calm down at the very least. 

     More tapping at the mic. "Is this thing on?" The man asked into the mic. Clearly it is. "Great. Very Good. Can't get this day going without it, aye?" he joked lightly. Only some students laughed, others smiled. Some merely rolling their eyes or not reacting. "I welcome all of you to your first day at this school. Typically when we have a school ceremony like this, we have rules, guidelines, class representatives speaking. The pretty typical things." He nodded "We will get to all of that in a moment, but first I want to help reassure some students here. Some of you are worried about Exnomes co-mingling with Normals and vice versa. Others simply worried about being bullied by both Exnomes and Normals, and those of you worried by something called 'Issues' that the Exnomes deal with. Let's address those worries first." he adjusted the small framed glasses on his face that seemed circular in shape. 

     "After school, You will have to deal with co-mingling with both. Not just your fellow type. So the ridiculous nature we have that we force the two apart in school seems.. quite frankly, very naïve of all of us. School is where you are allowed to make mistakes, learn how to interact, grow with class mates; Simply, other schools are robbing students of their ability to make those very mistakes that could cause them a lifetime of misery later on. At the end of the day, Everyone in this school, and even outside of school, is human. Everyone disserves the respect any human should receive, Even if currently most Exnome classes are with limited rights." A slight pause, allowing the information to sink in. He took another breath to continue. 

     "If we are all Human at the end of the day, I will trust that each and every one of you would treat each other respectfully and not bully one another. Any issues or signs of bullying and our appointed Councilors will handle the situation. Now, Onto the very meat of the beast. Exnome's have something called 'Issues'. Some Normal's here have witnessed these issues in the past, either from family members or older friends. An issue is when the mental stress level of an Exnome is higher than the Exnome can handle. For some, it is higher than others. Many of you know, depending on the Exnome, Some issues broad side out of the blue without warning. We have in place a protection system that will not only protect all classmates, but even the Exnome in question. Currently this system is able to handle up to Class A13." The man paused slightly. Many students took breaths joyful sighs as if most of their worries were answered with fixes. Ratatosk on the other hand held his breath. What did that mean for him? Was there no system in place to deal with him? Granted, he was unnaturally high, so covering the bare minimum of classes was probably all they could do; but why personally ask him to attend this school if they had nothing for him? It made no sense to him. The director continued despite the internal protest that was inside Ratatosk. 

     "We do have one Exnome here who fall outside of the A13 limit. There is still no necessary need to worry, or panic. This individual went through enough training to know when they are about to have an issue. Later on today, a councilor will pull them aside to tell them where they should report when they sense an issue on the horizon" He smiled and nodded. Ratatosk wanted to slap that man into the ground. Just because he can, doesn’t mean it's always accurate. He's had slip ups in the past where he couldn't tell for the life of him. This year was going to prove to be interestingly hard. 

     "With that said, Shall we continue to the basics of every School beginning?" 

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one is now officially wrapped up. It would have gone on longer but i decided to cut the whole normal bs of a beginning of school year. It's mostly unnecessary information in my opinion and don't particularly add anything to the story other than Ratatosk whining from boredom XD
> 
> In this chapter, I touched upon roughly on what it felt like to turn into an Exnome, Ratatosk's experience with turning into one and a slight bit afterwards, and the issues Exnomes deal with.
> 
> Later chapters will explain what even is an Exnome and what they can do. I'll even have snippets of what classes Exnomes take that are different than Normals. It might all be confusing at first, but hopefully it'll clear up later on aldkfj


End file.
